Phillies will mix and match in left field for a week

NEW YORK — The Phillies could have summoned another outfielder to replace Howie Kendrick on the active roster, but instead opted for a reliever. That means a combination of Daniel Nava, Aaron Altherr and Brock Stassi will fill left field for the next week, until Kendrick is eligible to return.

"There's no plan to get another player here right now," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said after Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Mets.

So the Phillies will carry eight relievers and play with a short bench. Mackanin sees it as a good fit, for now. It enables him to find some playing time for his reserves.

"So," Mackanin said, "with fewer guys to worry about, I can get more at-bats for everybody."

The Phillies could have promoted outfield prospect Roman Quinn and used him however they wanted for a week. But Quinn has started slow at triple-A Lehigh Valley, with a .227/.255/.273 line and 17 strikeouts in 47 plate appearances, so the Phillies decided against it.

The eight-man bullpen is trendy. The Phillies joined the Cubs, Reds, Marlins, Mets and Giants as National League teams with an extra reliever. In the not-so-distant past, it was not unusual to see a team with an 11-man bullpen.

Those days are gone.

By adding Mark Leiter Jr., a righthander who can provide multiple innings if needed, the Phillies have four relievers they'll want to use when ahead in a game and four relievers they'll use when behind.

"I just want to protect the four or five [best] bullpen guys we have," Mackanin said. "I don't want to use them in games they shouldn't be pitching in."

It could allow Mackanin to play more matchups, too, like Mets manager Terry Collins often does. New York used eight pitchers in 10 innings Tuesday.

The Phillies were not forced to make mid-inning changes. Three relievers pressed into tight situations impressed. Joely Rodriguez threw just nine pitches in a scoreless sixth inning; it was his second scoreless outing in three days. Edubray Ramos struck out the side in the seventh. And Luis Garcia, asked to preserve a tie in the bottom of the ninth, pitched around a one-out walk.

The one minor complication from the big bullpen, small bench model is that it leaves Andres Blanco as the lone backup infielder. Kendrick, when active, at least provided the option of shifting to second or third base in an emergency.

For a week, the Phillies will deal with it.